Winter + TCM

Despite our weirdly warm weather this year-winter is here, and from a Chinese medicine perspective winter is a time for rest and rejuvenation. If you notice yourself getting particularly tired when the sun goes down, that’s because your hormones are changing to match the seasons. There’s nothing wrong with you, your body is just sending you a signal to retire a bit early than normal as a result. This is also the time of year where you shouldn’t feel too bad about sleeping in. Rest is the key during wintertime, so don’t be afraid to go to bed slightly earlier and sleep in a little more than usual. In Chinese medicine, winter is a time when “yang” energy is at its lowest, so it’s good to conserve our energy and rest more than usual. “Yang” energy is also what helps us to warm our bodies and extremities, so be sure to tell your acupuncturist if you are feeling especially cold or if you have low back pain, knee pain, or frequent urination as well. 

Winter is a good time for all the “yin” activities such as reading, taking warm baths, doing yin yoga, stretching, calming breathwork, and meditating. It isn’t a great time to be running marathons or living a non-stop or super active lifestyle. Winter is a time to recharge after a long year in order to prepare for new activities in Spring. 

From food as medicine perspective, winter is the time to eat your root vegetables, and consume all your warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Drink your beverages warm, and eat warm and cooked meals such as broths, soups, stews porridges, and roasts. Lamb and beef are particularly good to eat around this time. It’s also a good season to consume foods that benefit the Kidneys in Chinese medicine. These are black sesame seeds, black rice, black beans, seafood such as oysters and scallops, and other salty foods like pork and seaweed. Goji berries and nuts and seeds are other great foods to eat to support our Kidneys.  

Make sure you are wearing warm and cozy socks in the wintertime, and never walk on cold floors with bare feet. This is a precaution we take in Chinese medicine in order to help our “yang” energy and kidney and adrenal health, which is especially important for our fertility and hormone patients! In short, wear warm socks, eat warm foods and drink warm beverages, and don’t feel guilty about having to rest and sleep more! 

This blog post was written by Samantha Kloss.